Postgame Quotes - December 26, 2012

Pistons at Hawks

“We showed great resolve tonight. We had a great opportunity to try to win the game, but couldn’t get the stop we needed, and we just had too many mental defensive errors. We just couldn’t finish things off tonight, but our second unit showed great effort in getting us back into the game. Unfortunately, we got outscored 59-30 in the first and third quarters. Also, at one point we were down in fast break points 34-4.”

(On Will Bynum’s misses late): “Without the shots he hit earlier, we wouldn’t have been in the game tonight. He put us in position to have a chance to win by putting us on his back. He did a great job in the pick-and-roll sets that we ran. We just spotted them too many points earlier in the game.”

“I tried to take advantage of the opportunity that I had tonight. I got hot, and others guys picked it up, and piece by piece things started to work, and we got back in the game. But I missed a key layup at the end. That was unbelievable. The missed shots haunt me now, and they still were haunting me while we were out there. We put forth a great effort, but it just wasn’t enough.”

“We were trying to fight back and win the game. Teams come back from 20 down, sometimes from 30 down. Anything is possible out there on the court. You just have to keep playing hard.”

(On his confidence level in games like this): “My confidence level is always high no matter what. The work that I put in during the summer and what I do during the season makes me ready for these moments that my number is called.”

(On coming back from 22 down): “We started spreading out (the Hawks) in the second half, and things started working for us, especially between Will (Bynum) and Charlie (Villanueva). We were just taking what they gave us and started hitting shots. We have a lot of athletes on this team, so when we started pushing the pace and attacking the basket, things started working for us.”

(On coming back but falling short): “It’s always tough to lose, but I’m proud of our guys and how we fought back. Unfortunately we came up short. We had a couple of defensive slips in the second overtime that messed us up, but we fought back, and hopefully next time we’ll come out with the victory.”

“This was a big test for us; coming back and playing against a team that has always been a very, very tough matchup for us. They’re big, they’re physical, they have length. This game is about matchups, and we have a hard time matching up with them. I thought we got off to a really good start. This Detroit team is real feisty. They have no quit in them. I really felt, even when we had the big lead, I knew they would make a push, which they did. I’m happy with the way my guys persevered in double overtime. A couple of times, I thought we were dead in the water. From an execution standpoint, particularly in overtime, we did a pretty good job. It was a really hard-fought win. Physically, we have some guys over in that locker room pretty beat up right now, but you have to expect that when you play teams like Detroit.”

(On Josh Smith): “Josh had a huge night, not just on the offensive end, but defensively. He really took the challenge, and I think he guarded every position on the floor. A couple times we put him up against the point guard. He got matched up against Stuckey some. He was on Prince and Maxiell. He was on Drummond a few times. Josh is a warrior.”

(On other performances): “I thought Al did a phenomenal job tonight. Jeff Teague, in the second half, really picked up his energy, picked up his intensity. He really made some big plays going down the stretch in the overtime. Kyle struggled shooting the ball tonight, but he made a big three when we needed it. I thought defensively he did a real good job.”

(On missing the late free throw): “It was tough, because I had the opportunity to put the game away. It was important for me to move on to the next phase of the game, and play in overtime. That’s what I did, and we responded well.”

(On losing the 22-point lead): “We were a confident team starting the fourth. We had things under control, but I think we got … away from what was working for us. They made plays. Bynum was great, and I think he was the one that propelled them to tie the game. I’m just happy we won.”

(On taking over in the second overtime): “We just started playing. We were playing (too) cautious. We had the big lead and we didn’t want to lose the game. We just decided to leave it all out there and just play. I think that benefitted us and got us the win.”

(On losing the lead): “We took our foot off the pedal and started to relax. But I’m glad we were able to get this win.”